As the Ghost crew plus two dash on board, I look to both Kanan and Ezra.
"Well, I take it we got what we needed." I gesture to the two Lasat that came aboard with the crew, one of them having a rather bright Force presence.
"Yeah. Hondo came through." Ezra answers before Kanan could get a word out.
"'Course he did. Hondo always comes through. He is no fool. It's just whether he gets caught or not that will decide our success." I admit with a smile. "What are their names?"
"Chava the Wise and Gron. I think you'll be able to tell who is who." Kanan replies. The ship lurches as it enters hyperspace, and we meet up with the rest in the cockpit.
"Okay, so where is this new world we're taking you?" Kanan asks.
"We do not yet have the location of Lira San." Chava, the elder Lasat answers, to which Zeb glares at her.
"We have maps if you need 'em." Hera assures.
"There is no Lira San, Hera. It's a myth, an old legend." Zeb retorts in irritation, yet Chava simply takes it in stride.
"The time has come to prepare the ritual that will guide us to our new home." The more she spoke, the more she gestures around. While Zeb rolls his eyes and bares his teeth, Ezra sends a slight glare towards him before speaking up.
"Come on. I'll help you get set up." He stands up and leads them to the common area.
"Better go make sure they don't drive that kid crazy." Zeb remarks before reluctantly following.
"This is going to be an interesting ride." Sabine huffs in amusement, to which I chuckle.
"You could say that again" I then follow Zeb and swiftly reach the common area, when Chopper spins his dome to face Chava and he warbles at her.
"I'm not weird!" Chava responds.
"Quiet, Chopper." Ezra orders before the cheeky droid could say anything else.
"The Ashla led us to the pirate, then to you, so that we may find our path to the new world." Chava explains, drawing on the floor with some chalk that she got out of thin air.
"The Ashla?" Ezra questions in uncertainty.
"The spirit of the galaxy." Chava explains.
"Sounds like the Force." Ezra admits.
"That's because it is." I state vaguely, as Kanan enters.
"The Force has many names, Ezra." Kanan adds.
"And it is through your Force, our Ashla, that the prophecy comes. It is written and it is spoken." She finishes her drawings as she continues. "The promise of Lira San will follow the fate of The Three. The fool, simple and selfish, he would lead. The warrior, bold and bloodthirsty, to hunt the hope of tomorrow, the child, to destroy him! We will find our new home only if the child saves the warrior and the fool." Her explanation is done with wild and erratic, yet meaningful gestures.
"Well, I have no idea who the fool is, and I only see one child." Zeb gestures to Ezra before turning to face him. "And you're not rescuing this warrior."
"Perhaps you are not the warrior?" Chava questions him, while I smirk knowingly.
"While I figure Hondo is the fool you speak of, you should know that in reality, he isn't foolish, just selfish and protective in his own way." I explain to the others, with none of them bothering to voice any questions.
Meanwhile - "Well, finding these unfindable enemies of yours should be no problem for Hondo, especially after we work out the details of my payment." Hondo states, breaking the silence aboard the light cruiser.
"I assume you have a tracking device." Kallus, well, assumes.
"I, uh. Oh." Hondo stutters with surprise. "Well. I was just getting to that! You see, you are good. This is why I prefer to do business with the Empire." He wraps an arm around a stormtroopers back, turning to face them. "What is your name?" He questions, with no answer.
Back on the Ghost -
"Ah. Hmm. We must begin. The fool has set events into motion." Chava opens her eyes, placing a stones onto her staff.
"The only fools I know are us for listening to this gunk." Zeb retorts.
"What would you have us do, Captain? Fight? Did that serve us on Lasan?" Gron questions in slight frustration, as well as a great sadness, before sitting down by Chava, who turns to both Ezra and I.
"Please join." She gestures for us to sit, of which we both do, as she begins to chant. "Lira San ko-ko mah-seeta, fo-na-ka-tee-lala. Lira San ko-ko, mah-seeta, fo-na-ka-tee-lala. Lira San ko-ko, mah-seeta, fo-na-ka-tee-lala. Lira San ko-ko, mah-seeta, fo-na-ka-tee-lala." Zeb leaves the room in frustration, taking his bo-rifle with him. Ezra notices this and stands to go follow him, while the rest of us, excluding Kanan, continue to chant. "Lira San ko-ko, mah-seeta, fo-na-ka-tee-lala. Lira San ko-ko, mah-seeta, fo-na-ka-tee-lala." Sabine and Hera soon enter the room, and shortly after, the chant stops. "Lira San ko-ko, mah-seeta, fo-na-ka-tee-lala. Eeee, ah, naa."
"We are ready for your map." Gron states, to which Chopper rolls forth and projects the map of the galaxy that has been charted.
"The path to Lira San will be revealed through the fates of The Three." Chava explains as she places a second stone onto the opposite side of her staff, moving it into position over the hologram projector in Chopper, giving the planets a yellow glow as the hologram passes through both stones. Both Ezra and Zeb then re enter the room. "The child must save the warrior and the fool." Chava explains again, watching over the map, her staff shaking slightly in her grip. "The child must show us the way." She states. Zeb gently shoves Ezra, only for Chava to deny him. "No! The child of Lasan." She reiterates.
"Wait, wait. I'm the child? I really wanted to be the warrior." Zeb complains, his ears drooping.
"You're kinda acting like a child." Ezra retorts with a smile, earning a glare from Zeb, before he steps forward.
"Your bo-rifle, as the ancients used it." Gron instructs, to which Zeb rearranges his rifle to that of a staff, earning amazed looks all around.
"The staves of the ancients were lost… But father made copies! You can find them! You can get me out! You can open the gateway to Agartha!" A child's voice echoes in my mind, as do images of four staves, before I return to the present moment, where Zeb activates his rifle/staff, yellow energy emitting from it's tip, and arcing to Chava's staff, before hundreds, if not thousands of planets are suddenly added to the map, the locations spreading across the holographic display, a small burst of Force energy accompanying the action.
"Those systems are beyond the Outer Rim, in Wild Space. Not on any map." Kanan exclaims in amazement.
"The child must show us the way." Chava states in glee. She was reminding me of Yoda, in a yellow energy continues to arc around the planets, before settling on one of the newly added ones, highlighting it for all to see.
That's it. That's it. Lira San." Zeb explains. FOURTH WALL BROKEN! DISNEY REALLY NEEDS TO ADD NAMES FOR ALL THOSE PLANETS SHOWN.
A few hours later, the course having been adjusted to take us to Lira San, the ships shudders beyond the norm, resulting in Ezra, Kanan and I rushing to the cockpit.
"Chopper!" Hera calls as the door opens, Chopper having beat us all there and plugging into the ship.
"What's wrong?" Ezra asks, the alarms blaring, almost loud enough to mute his voice.
"There's something in our path." Sabine answers, before the ships jolts as it returns to realspace, revealing an amazing, beautiful, yet deadly image before us.
"What is that?" Ezra asks in awe, with everyone, myself included, having their mouths open in the same awe.
"Imploded star cluster, biggest one I've ever seen." I answer, stealing Hera's reply before she can speak it.
"Nice save." Kanan applauds her piloting.
"If we get any closer, the gravity field will destroy us." Hera explains, wary of the surrounding space. Gron, Zeb, and Chava enter the cockpit moments later.
"What happened? Are we on course?" Gron asks.
"Sure are, but our course is blocked by the worst kind of space anomaly we could've encountered." Sabine answers.
"This is what happens when we jump into uncharted space." Hera adds.
"Ah. This is the maze that was prophesized." Chava states with excitement.
"Wait, a maze? You never said anything about a maze. You prophecy types always pull something like this."
"Better a maze than a Labyrinth." I state with distaste, my own experiences having involved multiple of each. The alarms blare once more, earning Zeb's ire.
"Ugh. Now what?" He asks in frustration. Behind us, a light cruiser appears, and the comms activate.
"Attention, rebels. As much as I might like to watch you consumed by the maelstrom before you, I will offer you a chance to surrender, an opportunity for survival." Kallus' voice echoes through the cockpit.
"How did he find us?" Zeb wonders aloud.
"Hello, my friends!" Hondo calls through.
"Hondo? What are you doing with him?" Ezra asks, betrayal etched on his face, so I place a hand on his shoulder and shake my head, telling him to worry about that detail later.
"I must apologize, Ezra. I hid a tracker on that transmitter. You know, for insurance purposes." Hondo elaborates, his voice carrying genuine sorrow for how things have played out. Ezra takes the transmitter from Chopper and smashes it beneath his foot.
"Well, thanks a lot, Hondo. You've been a great help today." Ezra states with heavy sarcasm.
"You have one minute to prepare for boarding, or to be destroyed." Kallus warns, before all goes quiet.
"I can't believe this. Kallus has got us." Zeb complains.
"He plays his part, as warrior." Chava admits.
"Wait, he is the warrior? And I got stuck being the child?" Zeb growls in frustrations.
"There are many warriors, fools and children, Captain. The child in you can't see how things are, but how they can be. The fool denies his destiny, but it is the warrior you are who will create one. You are never one of these. In time, you become all of them." Chava elaborates further, making Zeb pause and think, before he faces Ezra.
"Ezra, bring me my bo-rifle." He orders.
"What are you thinkin', buddy?" Kanan asks, but gets no answer, as Ezra returns, rifle/staff in hand.
"You can do this, Zeb. I know it." Ezra urges, handing Zeb his weapon, to which he immediately activates, the hum of power audible, the Force churning in anticipation.
"Just like the ancients used it." Zeb comments idly, walking up to stand between Hera and Sabine, as Kallus' voice returns.
"Your time is up, rebels." He reports, before Zeb slams his rifle/staff into the floor, the yellow energy arcing across the ship, and as he tilts the tip forward, it arcs across the Ghost's navigational computers, taking control of the ship and putting it in Zeb's hands.
"Zeb, what are you doing?" Sabine questions, bringing her arms back onto the joystick in front of her.
"Leading the way." Zeb answers.
"Zeb!" Hera exclaims, watching as her joystick turns and guides without her control.
"Trust me, Hera." Zeb adds, guiding the Ghost closer to the maelstrom. Shortly after, two TIE Fighters launch and make their way towards us, and Zeb brings his staff up before slamming it into the shielding console, the yellow energy now arcing across the entire ship, and a bubble of Force protection encases the Ghost, leaving the two TIE Fighters to be torn apart by the maelstrom, the debris being dragged towards the closest anomaly. Turbolaser fire soon follows, only for the gravitational pull of several anomalies to tear the blasts away from the Ghost. The light cruiser then stops following.
"I see it! The way through!" Zeb exclaims, and the yellow arcs of energy begin to move across the consoles in guided precision.
"I don't know how, but the hyperdrive is activating." Hera states with concern. As the Ghost moves even close to the largest anomaly, the ship lurches as it jumps, a myriad of colours replacing the usual view of Hyperspace, the light so blinding, that it doesn't take long for us all to pass out, though whether truly from the light, or something else, none of us know. As we begin to wake up, Ezra's voice is heard above all else.
"Ow! Was that really necessary? Zeb!"
"Get him up." Kanan orders, as everyone crowds around him, with Gron calling to him as he lightly slaps his face.
"Captain Orrelios!"
"Hey, buddy. You hurt?" Ezra asks with concern.
"I've had worse. I've never seen better. We're home." Zeb replies with joy, looking out the cockpit, where a small system lay ahead.
"Lira San." Chava exclaims, the Force ringing with confirmation.
"Well. I suppose this is goodbye to you two then. Gron, Chava, it was an honour." I bow to them both, before leaving to Kanan's quarters, where I stay for the rest of the trip, immersed in my memories.
"I am the King of Der Eisendrache. I've come to aid you in this battle."
"Take my bones and bury them throughout the Castle. One day, they will be found again, but for now, my time has passed."
"This is the truth the Kronorium showed us. The truth Richtofen could no longer face. When we are gone, so too is everything that spewed forth from the Aether. Element 115, the Apothicons, even Monty himself. All of it will be banished, to where it belongs. The Dark Aether."
"The Aether has always been a part of Purgatory. It just takes the right tools to see it."
"The Dark Aether has been restless. Something has opened it's doors. Now, it needs to be closed once more."
A/N - Alright. With this chapter, it wasn't going to be changed much from the last one. All i did, was remove the beginning part, and leave the rest as is. This chapter was always meant to be a way for Vex to remember part of his past, of another life. Take care, and stay safe.
